Location: Munsterhof, Zurich, Switzerland
Timings:
The church remains open for all days of the week except Sundays. It has different opening and closing times for different months which are given as follows.
- May-October: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM; 2:00 PM-6:00 PM
- March-April: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM; 2:00 PM-5:00 PM
- November-February: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM; 2:00 AM-4:00 PM
Entry fee: 5 Swiss Francs
Distance from Zurich airport: 12.4 Km
History of Fraumunster Church
In the years from 1833 and 1844, the church was hosted by Protestants and Catholics. It was not until the 20th century that it saw a major renovation and the stained glass windows were constructed by Marc Chagall. Though the present church marks its existence since 1250, it still has the preserves of old abbey church beneath it.
The Architecture of Fraumunster Church
As you enter this church, you will be welcomed with the sight of three aisles, a Gothic nave, and a Romanesque Choir. With a notable height of 18 meters, the choir is one of the many beautiful things inside the church. The church also features the modern series of frescoes to mark the establishment of Fraumunster.
As you move to the north direction, be ready to be amused at the sight of a stained-glass window which depicts God, eight prophet, ten angels, and four Evangelists which was constructed by Giacometti. In addition to the Giacometti glass window, Fraumunster also has a group of another five glass windows which were built by Chagall in the year 1970.
These 10 meters tall windows look attractive with different colour themes. While the red and yellow colour represents heaven, the blue and green colour stands for the earth. The red and orange-coloured windows are named as Prophet windows, which represents Elisha witnessing Elijah's ascension from her chariot.
The leftmost pane is called the Jacob window, and the far-right yellow-coloured window is Zion Window. The southern side of the wall has a blue Law window, in which the Moses can be seen holding the Ten Commandments. In the centre, you will get to see the largest of all the windows, the Christ Window.
Interesting Story about Fraumunster Church
Fraumunster Church has an interesting story behind the construction of its five glass stained windows. It is believed that in the year 1960, Zurich city officials ran an extensive hunt for an artist who can build stained windows for the beautiful church. Despite their whole-hearted efforts, they couldn't find a good artist.
In the year 1967, a massive Chagall exhibition was hosted in one of the art museums. The show presented several of his paintings that symbolized love, peace, and faith. The Fraumunster pastor got captivated by the beauty of these paintings and selected Chagall for the construction of stained glass windows.
